LECTURE VIIL 65 



able in the midst of the sea. The adhesion how- 

 ever of a number of these Fishes at once to the 

 side of a small canoe, in the earlier ages of man- 

 kind, may really be supposed to have considerably 

 retarded its progress, and have even caused it to 

 incline on one side ; and the tale once related, 

 might have gradually grown into the exaggerated 

 powers afterwards ascribed to the animal. The 

 real fact is, that the Remora being a Fish of very 

 weak powers of fin, takes the advantage of occa- 

 sionally attaching itself to any large swimming 

 body, whether animate or inanimate, which it 

 happens to meet with ; for when left to its own 

 exertions it swims weakly, unsteadily, and often, 

 on its back. It is therefore necessary that it 

 should avail itself of the occasional assistance of 

 some larger floating body, and for this purpose 

 the wonderful structure of the head is formed. 

 The common Remora or E. Remora of Linnaeus 

 is a native of the Mediterranean sea, and is of a 

 brown colour, with about eighteen bars across the 

 sucker on the head. 



Another species, called the Indian Remora, is 

 of an olive-green colour, with 24 bars across the 

 sucker. A third species has been discovered in 



